Berisha-sized hole the Roar just can't fill

Phil Lutton

When Bruce Springsteen wrote of fires and sparks, he made the point that the former can't leap into existence without the latter. Science wowsers suggest that's not quite true (chemical reactions, spontaneous combustion etc), but I think most sane folk would agree that The Boss trumps airy-fairy thermodynamics, so let's stick with the facts as they're sung.

In any case, it applies perfectly to the current state of the Brisbane Roar, a team so ice cold they would be in danger of freezing to death if it wasn't for the radiant warmth of their fizzy-orange shirts. With their chief arsonist now at Melbourne Victory, the A-League champions have been diligently rubbing their sticks together with nary a puff of smoke in sight.

Four games into the new season and Brisbane are yet to register a point, let alone a win. Depending on who you ask, the problems are minor (injuries, new players) or deeply concerning, ranging from recruiting blunders to team chemistry and strategic breakdowns.

Whatever the root cause, the results speak for themselves. A few more defeats and any thought of defending the title, let alone making the finals, will be gone. The Bakries, ambitious owners with interests in all corners of the football world, have little appetite for dwindling returns.

Brisbane's performances have been picked apart tactically by the growing legion of writers and boffins that so ably read and dissect the game. But the one great intangible is Besart Berisha. Brisbane miss his goals. They miss his borderline football personality even more.

Berisha's production in front of goal was first rate. Some 48 finishes in 76 matches was always going to be difficult to replace on a statistical front. Henrique remains able but has never really looked a logical frontman for the band. Mensur Kurtisi has appeared serviceable, to offer a generous appraisal, and played barely 10 minutes in the 3-1 defeat to Melbourne City.

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Now, more than ever, the absence of the Albanian sniper has shown him to be the beating heart of what was a champion Roar outfit. If Thomas Broich was the class, Berisha was the soul. Now the German midfielder is playing like Jake without Elroy. Try as he may, the raw, soulful tunes have been replaced by grating radio static. The Mall has shrunk.

Against City, frustrated fans were waiting for something to happen. And waiting. And waiting. Only a season ago, conceding two early goals at home would never have been perceived as an insurmountable hurdle. Brisbane's knack of busting out of jail was extraordinary and Berisha was almost always right in the midst of the action.

It wasn't always through a leveller, or winning goal. Sometimes he'd go nuclear and get sent off. He might even run to the sidelines, rip off his shirt and try to start a brawl, sending the entire game into a meltdown. FIGHT!

But you just knew something was on the cards. It was like the calm before an approaching storm. And even if his contribution seemed contrary to the desired result, he managed to send waves of energy through the Roar that could jump-start teammates who may have been running on empty.

Berisha added an edgy element to Brisbane's play that has since evaporated. Not only has the defence been found wanting, but outside of Broich, who has been the subject of double teams without his wingman, Brisbane's attack and creativity have failed to inspire.

During Saturday night's defeat, Mike Tuckerman, a quality Brisbane-based football pundit, posed the question on Twitter as to whether retaining Broich was the right move for Brisbane, or would it have been better to throw the bank at Berisha?

Given Broich is widely regarded as the best import to play in the domestic league, it seemed an odd query. But it served to illustrate the gaping chasm Berisha's departure has left in the Roar front third.

Finding a few goals may be the easy part for Mulvey as he puts the pieces back together. Trying to rekindle the fearlessness and fire of Brisbane at their Berisha-inspired best is another job altogether.